Gorgeous Gluten-Free Baked Goods

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rapidly growing number of Americans avoid gluten, the protein in wheat, rye, and barley, because of an allergy or sensitivity, or because they feel its absence promotes digestive health. For some, gluten-free eating is a serious concern: Roughly one percent of Americans have celiac disease, a hereditary autoimmune response to gluten that can only be treated by avoiding all traces of the substance (see more tips for additional information on celiac disease). And some parents and doctors suspect that consuming gluten can exacerbate autism symptoms.

Obviously, cutting out gluten is a major lifestyle change, but happily, there's no need to write off sandwiches and birthday cake forever. Click on the recipe links to the right for Epicurious's gluten-free versions of pizza, muffins, bread, and cakethese are treats that everyone will love, whether or not they eat wheat. Once you taste how good gluten-free baked goods can be, you'll be amazed that people put up with cementlike biscuits and chalky cookies that were the norm for gluten-free baking just a few years ago. You can also use Epicurious's advanced recipe search to find hundreds more delicious wheat- and gluten-free recipes, including appetizers, main courses, sides, and desserts.

We've also provided advice on baking without gluten, essential gluten-free ingredients for your pantry, and more tips and resources for living without gluten, including how to avoid wheat at restaurants and what to look for on product labels. Thanks to increased awareness of the gluten-free lifestyle and a dramatic improvement in gluten-free flour blends and other products, it's now possible to avoid gluten and still eat deliciously.